Sound: I play all sorts of styles of music and this guitar is great for all of em. I was having trouble deciding which guitar I wanted and as soon as I picked this one up I knew. This guitar is absolutely without a doubt the best guitar for the money. It has a really rich full sound and amazing tone. // 10

Action, Fit & Finish: The action of the guitar was absolutely perfect as soon as I picked it up. No fret buzz at all anywhere, and the action was low enough to allow for easy playing. I could not find a single flaw on then entire guitar. // 10

Reliability & Durability: This thing built solid and I would have no problems gigging with it. My only worry is that its a satin finish which doesn't quite protect as well as some finishes. // 9

Overall Impression: This guitar is the best acoustic I have ever played that is under 1500 dollars. I've been playing for a few years and I have had a few acoutics and electrics. So far, this is the best acoustic I have come upon. I compared this to a few other products, including another Takamine with a gloss finish. This thing blew all other guitars out of the water. Trust me when I say you will not be disapointed with this guitar. // 10

GS330S
Reviewed by:
shadowkid33, on october 13, 2008 0 of 0 people found this review helpful

Price paid: $ 279

Purchased from: Guitar Center

Features: Let me first say, I own the GS430. It's the same guitar, but in a Takamine NEX body shape instead of a Dreadnought shape. It's much easier for me to play than a Dreadnought. Anyway, this guitar was made in Korea, but it might as well have been a US made. It's a beautiful,flawlessly assembled guitar. It has a Solid Cedar Top which gives it a very full, expensive sound. The sides and back are NATO, which I believe is a laminate wood, but they look beautiful and don't appear to affect the sound quality. It's also worth mentioning this guitar does not have any electronics. Just simple, pure acoustic sound. // 9

Sound: I'm not a very advanced player, but I know a good guitar from a bad one. And let me tell you, this guitar has the most amazing, rich, full sound I've ever heard out of an acoustic in this price range. Bear in mind, if you want to make it louder you'll have to mic it up due to the lack of electronics, but that's a small price to pay for such a good sounding instrument. // 10

Action, Fit & Finish: The guitar was set up perfecly at the factory. The action is the lowest I've ever seen on an acoustic guitar. It is so easy to play, you won't believe you're playing a $300 guitar. The guitar stays in tune very well also. It also can detune to drop D, or a full step down without any issues what'soever. // 10

Reliability & Durability: Ok, here's my one beef with the guitar. The top scratches SO easily. This is probably because of the fact it has a satin finish (which doesn't protect the guitar very well). The big issue is do not play it fast and hard with a pick. If you're pick scraped the finish, it will leave a mark. But, if you're gentle with it, you could easily do a gig without any issues. // 6

Overall Impression: I would, without a doubt, buy this guitar again if it got stolen. It is an unbelievable value at only $300, because it sounds like a guitar worth three times as much money. I'd recommend it to anybody looking to play unplugged and beautiful acoustic music, regardless of genre. If it's expensive acoutic sounds you're looking for, buy this guitar! // 10

GS330S
Reviewed by:
jrenkert, on march 11, 2013 0 of 0 people found this review helpful

Price paid: $ 299

Purchased from: Dietz

Features: Your standard dreadnought style body with a real Cedar top and a light Cedar finish. The fretboard is unmarked rosewood (dots are on the side of the neck) and the frets themselves are unobtrusive.
A word on the finish is that it is pretty easy to nick and scratch up. I am fairly gentle with my instrument since gouging it. Another odd thing: It probably has a lot to with how I play the instrument, but since there is no pick guard and I play in a percussive style that anchors my hand where the pickguard would be I have inadvertently polished that area with the oils from my hand and it is now very shiny and smoother than any other section of the instrument... Odd but not a bad thing. This guitar is pretty darn barebones: no pickups, just a little bit of finish, no inlays. // 7

Sound: The sound, on the other hand, is simply amazing. It matches guitars $600.00 more expensive with ease, both in volume and in tone. That being said and can be a tad bright with new strings and I find that I must change them quite frequently in order to keep the tone from becoming dull because this guitar sounds awful with worn strings (I mean isn't that true of all guitars?). I find that this instrument sounds the best two days after its been strung and lends itself well both in volume and playability to any style of music. I play mostly blues, gospel, and rock and I can get some killer tones out of this instrument. I've out played Taylor's and Martin's hundreds and hundreds of dollars more expensive, however that may have more to do with the player than the instrument. // 9

Action, Fit & Finish: The guitar came setup (something that store I got it from is so good at) nice and low and smooth. Its an easy adjustment of the truss rod if so desired (located in the bottom of the neck accessed through the sound whole). There is no cut out, but playing on the upper frets is pleasant enough and not uncomfortable for those with the skill to access it. Bends are easily done on this instrument and I find the action to be pleasantly loose. The one thing that I find to be obnoxious is that it seems to want to be set up every time one changes the strings, which can get a little on the obnoxious side. // 9

Reliability & Durability: I've had this guitar for just over a year now with only a little nick in the finish and a weird polished spot from how my hands have worn the light and delicate finish. The tuners are still holding strong and the bridge is doing well (thankfully it doesn't have pegs in the bridge which I always have an issue with). Like I said it has a very light finish that is easily damaged and that applies to not just the body but the headstock as well. This is probably the weakest part of the guitar... So I would not suggest to one who is not spatially aware of their surroundings or not careful about where they place their instruments. // 7

Overall Impression: I truly love this guitar with its brilliant tone that has allowed me to hold my own in any situation playing against instruments that, strictly by price tag, should have shamed my sound. The action is sweet, if not temperamental at times, and lies low and loose. The weakest part of the whole ensemble is that the finish is very, very light. Get a case and get a stand, otherwise you're going to have one beat up instrument. With some TLC this guitar can take you anywhere you want it to. It has the ability to play anything you can throw at it as long as you don't throw it! // 9

I've had one for about a year now. Before I bought this guitar I tried out quite a few others. Upon picking the GS330S up the first thig I noticed was how light it was. After handling so many heavy guitars, it was quite a surprise. Next I noticed it's simplicity. My friend, who also plays guitar, said that the satin finish plus the lack of a pick guard would be a problem. However, I don't use a pick, and even if I did i could simply buy a pick guard and put it on myself. This gives greater control over the overall look of the guitar. I've played a lot of high-end guitars, and I have to say that I like this guitar (that I purchaced for less than $300) better than 80% of them.

I love my GS330S. The other week the plastic saddle that came with it snapped while changing strings. I replaced it with a bone saddle I made from a blank and now sounds better than when I purchased it. I can actually get some decent bass out of it. For $300 you'll be amazed by this guitar. I am.

I just came across your comments about the takamine gs330 and about how your saddle broke and replaced it with bone saddle. I am considering this guitar but want to replace the plastic saddle with bone saddle. I have to take it to a luthier though to get that done. Can you please tell me how much better it is now that you have a bone saddle. To be honest I came across this forum/comment researching to see if these guitars came with bone saddle/nut. Thanks in advance mate.

I played a comparable Yamaha for 20 years, which has gotten difficult to play because the neck has gotten out of whack over time. I was looking for a guitar around $300 that had good action and sound. Nothing came close to the Takamine. In my opinion, even guitars that cost a few hundred more don't sound as good or play as easily.
I'm a pretty mediocre guitar player, but I love the way I sound with this guitar. It definitely makes me want to play better.

Started learning guitar a year ago, and this is the guitar a friend recommended to me. It is still my only guitar, and I would recommend it to ANYBODY. I love playing it, and it is so light...make sure to get a good case to protect this baby

This is the second guitar I have owned, the first being a Gibson J-45 dreadnought. I bought the Takamine because the Gibson needed work due to a collapsed body (a manufacturing flaw). Before I bought a guitar, I visited 5 music stores, including Sam Ash, Guitar Center, Manny's Music and others and tried dozens of guitars in many price ranges. When I played the Takamine I was amazed at the sound for the price- it was under $300! It is light-weight, but yet puts out a good and varied sound for everything I do-folk, blues, light gigging. It was not love at first sight, though. I recognized that there were some negative issues with this guitar: 1. The satin finish does not protect against dings and dents. 2. There is no pick guard, and if you use a pick, the sound hole and face will show wear, as mine has after 6 years of playing. 3. It does not have a truss rod, any adjustment to the neck requires a potentially pricey trip to a guitar repairman. Still, in six years of playing, it hasn't needed anything but a minor fret job for wear.
My favorite guitar technician told me that had Takamine added a pick-guard or a harder finish, the result would be a duller sound. A truss bar would have added some weight. My assessment:Great guitar for the money, just treat it with a love and care.

this is my first real acoustic (i have a shit wal-mart acoustic that now sits in my closet...). i looked for a while at several different models from seagull, and yamaha in and above this price range. this guitar is amazing. even the salesman who sold the guitar to me was impressed with it! by far the best acoustic in this price range. like the reviews said though, just be gentle with it because it does scratch easily.

I was looking for a replacement for my practice beater when I came upon one of these on Craigslist. I read the reviews and got excited when I talked the guy into selling it for under $200. I picked it up and it was in flawless condition. After playing dozens of other guitars at the $300 price range, I was stoked to find that all of the reviews on this guitar are spot on. This blows everything else away. Great guitar. Great score.

NemX162 wrote:
Do some of them have inlays and other not? All the pictures I see don't have any, but the first review says dot inlays...

Maybe it's a little late to answer this question for you, but it doesn't have any inlays on the fretboard surface, but it does have the dots on the side of the fret board.
I am about to buy one of these. I found one at a local pawn shop in perfect condition for about $230. As I was playing the guitars in my price range I was becoming disappointed with the sound of them, and then I picked this one up to play it. Absolutely blew every other guitar out of the water. Beautiful and rich tone, great action, and every string sounds equally as beautiful.
It's not much for frills as far as looks or electronics. The look of the guitar is very plain and generic, and as was mentioned there are no electronics, so all of your money is going into it's what I would refer to as its "studio quality." A high profile band could record an album with this guitar and no one would know. Pretty much exactly what I was looking for because I wanted a guitar that sounded great on a budget, as I don't have the money to spend a lot on the extra bells & whistles.

I picked one of these up last weekend and couldn't be happier with it. While I was trying it out at the store, I had them pull a Martin priced at $2,900 down off the wall to play against it. While the Martin definitely had more "clarity" and sounded better on the high end, it DEFINITELY didn't sound $2,600 better. I'm not joking at all when I say that I think the Tak might have even had more low-end than the Martin. If not, it was close. I bought it, slapped some phosphor bronze medium gauge strings on it, and absolutely love it. I'm planning on putting a bone nut and bridge saddle on it bit I'm in no big hurry since it sounds great just like it is. I HIGHLY recommend this guitar for the $$.

I picked one of these up last weekend and couldn't be happier with it. While I was trying it out at the store, I had them pull a Martin priced at $2,900 down off the wall to play against it. While the Martin definitely had more "clarity" and sounded better on the high end, it DEFINITELY didn't sound $2,600 better. I'm not joking at all when I say that I think the Tak might have even had more low-end than the Martin. If not, it was close. I bought it, slapped some phosphor bronze medium gauge strings on it, and absolutely love it. I'm planning on putting a bone nut and bridge saddle on it but I'm in no big hurry since it sounds great just like it is. I HIGHLY recommend this guitar for the $$.

I have this Guitar. I set it up with a Dean Markley sound hole pick up. It sounds great with or without being plugged in. Plays easy and has good tones and resonance.
Overall a great instrument for the money.
By the way, the guitar has never sold for $400 plus as some sellers state. It was listed at $359 several years ago; dealers marked down to 299 and you'll find them used for between that and 239.

I've had this guitar for almost 10 years now. I'm not the best guitar player in the world, but I'd hope for the 14 years I know what I'm doing. Believe it or not, this has been my primary acoustic guitar for all these years because every time I start playing around on other much more expensive taylor or Martin guitars, I don't hear sounds that I'm not already getting from my takamine. I'm only buying a new acoustic because I want to plug in and there isn't a way to easily install a soundhole pick up.